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Love Your Lakes

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Love Your Lakes

Water | July 1, 2019

July is Lakes Appreciation Month

Lakes serve multiple purposes. Besides being great summer recreational locations, they are also important ecosystems for the organisms, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals that live in, or around them.

Blue-green algae, sometimes referred to as “pond scum”, stays on the surface of the water and forms a sort of mat. When the conditions are just right, the algae multiply quickly. This is called an algal bloom and can be harmful to animals, plants, and people.

NOTE: Blue-green algae is different from true algae because it is not eaten by other organisms. True algae are an important part of the food web because they supply energy for the tiny animals that make up the bottom of the food web.

Invasive zebra mussels can devastate native plants and animals. Some scientists say they carry a type of disease that is deadly to birds that eat the mussels. Zebra mussels multiply so quickly that they clog pipes in machinery at industrial plants that use water, including hydroelectric dams and water filtration plants. Ships, docks, anchors, and buoys have also been destroyed by these invasives.

Acid rain, from toxic gases from factories, coal-fired power plants, vehicle exhaust, and home furnaces also harm lakes. Nitrogen and sulfur, the main ingredients of acid rain, rise in the air and may be carried by wind. When these gases mix with the moisture in clouds, they form strong acids that can fall as precipitation and can kill fish, plants, and other organisms.

What can we do to combat these lake villains? Monitor the health of the water, so we can take action!

Depth, plant growth, dissolved materials, time of day, season, and latitude can all affect light’s ability to pass through the lake’s water.

Light affects the temperature in lakes. Sunlight warms the water, and wind cools it down.

Wind can affect the amount of mixing of oxygen at the surface of the lake.

The conductivity of lakes can give an indication of the presence of excess nutrients.

Lakes have varying pH levels that affect how the nutrients in the water are taken up by the aquatic organisms.

Monitoring all of these factors can help determine the health of a lake.